The Reel World

Making the film Don’t Let Go a bit of a fantasy works for the target audience.  It reminds me of a few other films that get involved with solving a crime or saving a life by using a time warp.  In this film, however, the excitement mounts, and there’s enough of a twist to make it all come to a thrilling finale. The film opens with the introduction of Ashley Radcliff (Storm Reid), a young teen who has not been picked up by her dad from school. Not connecting on the phone with Garret (Brian Tyree Henry), she calls her Uncle Jack (David Oyelowo), a police detective, to pick her up.  It turns out to be an opportunity for the two to spend some quality time together.  Days later Jack gets a call from his niece, Ashley, that’s very disturbing. Going to her home, he finds dead bodies in the house, one of them his niece.

After the funeral, Jack and his partner, Bobby (Mykelti Williamson) investigate the crime with very few results.  Then a strange thing happens, Jack gets a call on his cell phone from Ashley. With four days to save her life, he tries to find a way to get evidence on her killers that could possibly save the girl.  So begins a mystery that leads to a twisted tale of crime, drugs, and a possible rewind of time.

Sometimes the best stories are those that take us on either a wonderful emotional journey or an actual quest of discovery. It's a rare film that offers both. At its heart, The Peanut Butter Falcon truly can't decide which of these paths it's really following. And that turns out to be one of its strongest elements. Part feel-good buddy film, part road picture, Peanut Butter Falcon is all heart. It's no surprise that the very creation of the movie took a rather unusual route to the big screen. Writer/Directors Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz did begin in the traditional way to develop their story. It was a genesis of inspiration that kindled the spark that would become a film. The film's star is an endearing young man named Zack Gottsagen. He was born with Down Syndrome and has long had a dream of becoming an actor. That's not an easy dream for anyone to fulfill, but Zack was determined, and fate brought him together with the filmmaking duo. His passion touched them to the point of wanting to make Zack's dream come true. And that's where this movie comes from. It was written around the unlikely star from the beginning and might have lingered as a mere passion project for all concerned, but it appears Zack's drive is infectious both on and off the screen. I get a sense of the real-life determination of the people behind this film, and it's just as unstoppable as that of the fictional characters they inspired. Real life and fiction are blurred here, and the end result had me believing I was just as much watching a true quest as I was enjoying a film. The Peanut Butter Falcon is an unpolished gem, and thank God for that.

Zak (Gottsagen) lives in a retirement community even though he's actually a very young man. He has Down Syndrome, and at some point in his young life has become a ward of the state. The state doesn't really know what to do with him, so he's fallen through the cracks and living in a situation that frustrates the young man. He's constantly trying to escape and usually foiled by the well-meaning nurse, Eleanor (Johnson). You can't keep a good man down, and with the help of his understanding roommate, Carl (Dern) he finally breaks free of his prison. Where will he go? He's been watching old VHS tapes of a wrestler named The Salt Water Redneck (Church) who promotes his school for wrestlers with promises of learning an impossible and likely mythic move. The tapes have filled Zak's mind with a dream to meet his idol, learn the moves, and perhaps become a member of the immortal wrestling community.

Anyone married understands that in-laws are not the easiest thing in the world to deal with. The next time you are struggling with your in-laws, I invite you to ponder this question: Have they ever tried to sacrifice you to the devil? If they have, I recommend divorce immediately, and if they haven’t, that puts you one step ahead of new bride Grace Le Domas (Samara Weaving, The Babysitter) That is the predicament that Samara Weaving’s character finds herself in. Here she thought she was marrying into one of the predominant families in the world; little did she know that wealth comes at a cost, and she would be that cost. Ready or Not is an entertaining tale of a woman’s attempt to escape her family, on her wedding night no less, as they use old-fashioned weaponry to hunt her and eventually sacrifice her. Think of it as a parody of The Most Dangerous Game in the format of an old-style horror film.

We meet Grace on what should be the happiest day of her life. She is about to marry the love of her life, Alex Le Domas (Mark O’Brien, City On A Hill), who also happens to be part of a vast and profitable gaming empire (however, they prefer you refer to it as a dominion). However, before she can sail off into the sunset, she must win over his family, which consists of a brother who keeps hitting on her, a father who suspects her of being a gold digger, and an aunt who is just downright creepy. All normal problems to have, right? That is until you reach her most critical problem; when a new member joins the family, that member is obligated to draw a card that is transcribed with a game that the person is compelled to play. Not too farfetched that a gaming dominion family would have a special thing for games. That is until it is revealed that the game she drew was “Hide and Seek”, which has significance to the family.

When a film comes along directed by Richard Linklater, I’m always going to have a little interest in what he’s up to.  He’s one of those directors I’ve followed from the 90’s that every few years he cranks out a film that I can’t help but enjoy.  Dazed and Confused, his Before Sunrise series, Boyhood, Everybody Wants Some!!, School of Rock, and several other of his films are proof enough that he has a solid filmography, but he’s never quite been  the guy to make a splash at the box office. Because of his track record, I’m a bit surprised to see that his new film Where’d You Go, Bernadette managed to squeeze into the tail end of the summer when the trailers would have me thinking this could be an awards-caliber film.  Well, as it turns out, the film is a swing and a miss.  While I still enjoyed the film, it’s a bit frustrating, because this film seems like it’s so close to being something great, but it just manages to disappoint throughout.

Bernadette Fox (Cate Blanchett) is a bit of a mess, to put it lightly.  She’s more than a little difficult to get along with, she heavily self-medicates, drinks, and seems to hate most people with the exception of her family.  From the start it’s a bit difficult to decide if Bernadette is simply a quirky individual or if she is genuinely just an unlikeable person.  The problem is the film doesn’t seem to know either, so with each awkward situation we see Bernadette get into, she just becomes a more frustrating and tiresome character.  We see she doesn’t get along with her neighbors, and her relationship with her husband, a brilliant computer animator Elgie Branch, played by Billy Crudup, is odd in its own way as well.  It’s hard to understand why they’d be on board for a last-minute trip to Antarctica.

When Dwayne Johnson joined the Fast and Furious franchise, I thought the series couldn’t get any bigger, especially when he and Vin Diesel faced off in one of the best scenes ever in an action movie. Then Jason Statham appeared in the end credits of Fast and the Furious 6 shattering that glass ceiling, and he didn’t disappoint, proving to be one of the group’s biggest adversaries. Then there was the fact that the Statham-Johnson showdown trumped the Diesel-Johnson battle, thereby showing the former’s electric chemistry. It was only a matter of time until a spin-off film came about. Lo and behold, Fast and the Furious presents Hobbs and Shaw. Now, the film has been a source of controversy for the franchise, with both Diesel and Tyrese Gibson voicing their discontent about the delaying of their next installment in favor of this film. Needless to say, Johnson will not be taking part of the ninth installment of the series, but I doubt he is losing much sleep about that, especially when he has the makings of his own franchise with this film.

In the opening credits, we get to meet the third child of the Shaw Family, Hattie, played by Vanessa Kirby, who went from playing royalty in The Queen to a certified harass in the latest Mission Impossible. With this film she solidified her standing as an action star as she holds her own alongside Statham and Johnson. While acquiring a new bio weapon, Hattie’s team is dismantled by a genetically enhanced super soldier (Idris Elba) who seeks to take the weapon. Though she manages to escape with the weapon, Hattie finds herself framed for the killing of the team and theft of the bioweapon.

Live action remakes are Hollywood’s latest trend, and they are usually a hit or a miss. That was a universal truth that I went into this movie knowing. To that end, I fully expected that Dora and the Lost City of Gold to be on the side of the latter rather than the former, and yet I was unexpectedly wrong. The film even managed to captivate my daughter, and if you guys have been reading my reviews, you know that she has the potential to be a harsher critic than I do. (If you need proof, look no further than her opinion of Missing Link). I wasn’t even sure that my daughter was that a big a Dora the Explorer fan. Well, if she wasn’t before, she most certainly is now after this movie. Isabela Moner (Instant Family) brings the titular character to life in this live action film that has her facing the biggest challenge of her life.

Dora has grown up in the rainforest, the child of two professors (Eva Longeria and Michael Pena) studying an ancient Incan city that legend tells houses an immense treasure. Dora has grown up with the legend, as well as her family creed that they are explorers, not treasure hunters. Eager to prove herself to her parents, she sets out on an adventure that results in her nearly becoming injured, but fortunately, her parents are able to rescue her, which proves to them that she is not quite ready to take part in their latest expedition to discover the lost city of Parraputa.

“It’s easy to fool people when they are already fooling themselves.”

There was a lot of pressure on this film to be great; it being the first MCU film following the epic known as Endgame. This film needed to be the statement that the MCU was finished after the events of Endgame, which completely and irrevocably changed the landscape of the franchise going forward. By the way if you have not seen Endgame yet, two things. First, what is wrong with you! You are the reason that the film hasn’t taken the all-time box office record away from Avatar yet. The film has just been re-released with additional footage, so there is even more to enjoy. So, get to a theater ASAP! We need to beat Avatar! Secondly, you should probably stop reading this review immediately, as I will be discussing events that will likely leave you lost. Let the previous declaration serve as your warning disclaimer. Iron Man is gone, Captain America has laid down his shield in favor for a lifetime with the love of his life. A little selfish, but I’d say he’s earned after his many sacrifices. The Avengers are essentially disbanded, but the world still needs heroes. Enter your friendly neighborhood Spiderman.

The Conjuring franchise and its spin-offs have been a success at the box office since 2013.  Now with the third Annabelle hitting the big screen, it’s time ask the question: is this the end for the franchise?  We already know there is going to be a third Conjuring film coming out next year, but beyond that, I’m guessing the studio heads are watching to see how this film fares with the summer competition.  I wasn’t a fan of the first Annabelle. The second one was better but still it seemed to pale in comparison to The Conjuring films, so to be honest, my expectations were not very high for this new installment.  As it turns out, this ended up being my favorite of the spin-off movies, and I have no shame admitting how much fun I had with this one.

First off, let me just state that I love The Conjuring films. Personally they are in my top ten for paranormal films. I’m a sucker for the cinematic Warren family, and I’m a fan of their work. Whether you believe in it or not, they make for good stories.  I feel this is important to get out there, because while I had a blast with this film, I can’t put it in the same sandbox.  Annabelle Comes Home works because it knows what it is: a B-movie carnival ride, and it embraces it.  This isn’t a dig by any means; instead it’s a compliment.

"You know kids lose their toys every day. Sometimes they get put in the wrong box, and that box gets taken away."

In 1995 Pixar didn't just put themselves on the computer animated feature film map. They completely created a new map. Yes, there were works before Toy Story, but that was the film that changed everything in an entire industry. It also began a push-and-pull relationship between the independent studio and its distribution partner, Walt Disney Studios. It was a disagreement over Toy Story sequels that found Pixar shopping for a new partner for their future output, and before you know it Disney wrote a check, and Pixar was a part of Disney. The small studio's chief, John Lassiter, ended up in charge of the Mouse House animation department, and those disputed Toy Story sequels became box office gold and examples of the right way to continue a film franchise. Now, a lot's changed in that 25 year interval. John Lassiter is gone because of his penchant for "full body hugs", and Disney has perfected the model of writing a check and turning it into a virtual printing press printing out hundred-dollar bills like they were prom flyers. Marvel, Lucasfilm, and now Fox have fallen like dominoes in the Disney march to global domination of the entertainment industry. It's actually amazing how many times they've gotten it right. The Marvel films represent one of the strongest collections of franchise films in movie history. The Star Wars films might have been hit-or-miss, but even the misses printed out money. It's gotten to the point where, in the Disney Empire, a worldwide haul of a half a billion bucks is considered a failure. And now we come to the fourth installment in the beloved Toy Story journey, and I have to say the film packs as much heart as the original did 25 years ago.

"You are a diversity hire. The important part is that you're here now."

Mindy Kaling knows a little bit about diversity hiring in the television industry and attempts to spread her wings a bit wider by staring in Late Night, an "inside baseball" look at the workings of a late-night talk show television program. Kaling not only stars in the independent film but was the writer as well. She certainly knows a thing or two about life behind the scenes on a television show. Her The Mindy Project has provided her with firsthand experience on that score. The film pulls in heavy hitters like Emma Thompson and John Lithgow, so there is no lack of star power to surround the young actress/writer in her first real chance at a prominent role in a feature film. So why does Late Night feel somewhat unfocused and incomplete? The answer might just lie at the feet of Mindy Kaling.